5 Globally Inspired Meals to Make in 20 Minutes with Saffron Road

I don’t know about you but the further into summer we get the less time I want to be spending in the kitchen. Daytime temperatures in Marrakech easily soar over 100F most days and with no air conditioning the prospect of being in front of burners or a hot oven for more than a few minutes makes me want to serve salads only! But everyone still needs to be fed. With that in mind, I came up with these five meal ideas that you can prepare in twenty minutes or less with the help of Saffron Roads’ products. Not only are these meals delicious and fast, they’re very economical . Depending on where you live, you can likely make each meal for under $10!

Meal One

Chicken Tikka Masala with Saffron Rice and Peas

Hands down my go to meal. We have this almost every other week. Simply buy a pound of skinless chicken or turkey breasts, clean and cube. Add a little bit of vegetable oil to a saute pan and brown the chicken. Then add one packet of Saffron Road’s Tikka Masala simmer sauce + 1/2 packet of water (we like lots of sauce). Cook 10-15 minutes until chicken is cooked through.

While you’re waiting on the chicken the rice can cook. I use long grain basmati. Add 2 cups of rice to the pot and rinse a few times to get rid of excess starch. Top with 4 cups of water and turn the heat to high. Once the water boils reduce the heat and crumble a pinch of saffron threads into the rice along with 1 cup of frozen peas. As the water reduces and is almost gone, take a towel and place it between the pot and the lid and turn off the heat. The rest of the liquid will be absorbed, while the towel soaks up the condensation. This helps keep your rice grains from sticking together.

Serve rice with chicken and sauce on top. I also include a bowl of Greek yogurt on the table for the kids. The sauce is just a little spicy and some kids may want to tame it down. Easy and delicious!

Meal Two

Ground Chicken Korma with Mushrooms and Potatoes

To make this meal extra fast I use frozen or refrigerated potato cubes. Try to get them plain with no additional seasoning. This will speed things up a lot! Wash your mushrooms and wipe clean. Slice into pieces. In a skillet add 2 tsp vegetable oil and 1 pound of ground chicken. Cook until chicken has been browned and then add 1 package of Saffron Road Korma Simmer Sauce, the potatoes and mushrooms. Continue cooking about 10 minutes until the potatoes are soft and chicken fully cooked.

Meal Three

Korean Stir Fry Bowl with Tofu

Sometime ago I created this Thai Red Curry Rice Bowl. But why not mix things up! Keep the general idea (you can find the recipe here) but swap out meat for tofu and use Saffron Road Korean Stir Fry simmer sauce instead. You’ll want to buy firm tofu, sear it on each side in a skillet. Then add it to the simmer sauce. You can saute your vegetables or keep them crunchy. Serve on top of rice and maybe some kimchi to the side?

Meal Four

Lemongrass Basil Noodles with Green Beans, Corn, and Zucchini

Right now there is loads of fresh produce – take advantage! Clean a handful of green beans and cut into bite size pieces, remove the corn kernals from 1-2 cobs of corn and peel and dice a zucchini. Put a pan of water on to boil and cook your favorite type of noodle. In a skillet add 1 package of Saffron Road Lemongrass Basil Simmer Sauce and all of your vegetables. Cook for 8 minutes until they’re tender. Mix in your cooked noodles and serve! You can add meat too if you’d like but this makes a great vegetarian dish.

Meal Five

Moroccan Tagine with Beef and Apricots

Tagines can take all day to cook and are the ultimate “set it and forget it” meal. But if you don’t have time, you don’t have to miss out! Instead of using the typical pieces of beef for this recipe I opted for meatballs. They cook fast and kids love meatballs. Simply shape 1 pound of beef into meatballs, then add to a skillet and brown on all sides. In a separate pan add 3/4 cup apricots chopped (to cook faster), 1/2 cup of water, and 1/2 tsp cinnamon. Turn the heat to low and keep an eye on the water. Meanwhile add Saffron Road Moroccan Tagine Simmer Sauce to the meatballs and finish cooking through. Once the apricots are tender and the meatballs completely cooked, put the dish together. Place meatballs and sauce on a large plate and drizzle apricots and the cooking liquid over the top. Eat with a spoon or crusty bread.

There you have it! Five meals that will each only take you 20 minutes to prepare and get on the table.

Want to try some of these great products? Saffron Road is hosting a Twitter chat this month with Whole Foods. Be sure to log on to Twitter and join in. Also come back later this month when I’ll be hosting a giveaway for some of the new Korean line of products.

Now tell me which meal will you be making tonight?

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2 comments on 5 Globally Inspired Meals to Make in 20 Minutes with Saffron Road

Halimah

July 4, 2014 at 6:27 pm

Assalamu alaikum Amanda,
Chicken korma sounds wonderful. My husband does not like pasta but with the lemongrass, basil noodles I reckon I could change his mind… Hehe.
Amanda are these simmer sauces available in Marjane? I have not seen them. Will look out for them next time I go insha’ALLAH

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I'm Amanda, a world traveling mom of two boys and foodie at heart. We are American expats living in Marrakech, Morocco and love to explore the world through food, language, and authentic cultural experiences.

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